Eternal Bonds
by steuf
Summary: Just before Sasuke died he made Naruto promise to enact his vengeance upon Itachi. Follow Naruto as he grows stronger to fulfill his promise. Slightly AU, OC, main pairing Naruto/Ino


Eternal Bonds

Prologue: Lost innocence

Author: Steuf

It must have been madness driving Itachi to slaughter his family, his clan. Surely only madness can cause this much destruction. The once busy streets of the Uchiha clan's compound littered with bodies. Walls smeared with blood, doors kicked in. And on the ground was a child crying, stammering incomprehensible words and sentences. He was the only survivor, left unharmed for unknown reasons. He had been late, a full thirty minutes after his curfew and that had saved him from a certain death.

When he had entered the compound the dead silence had caused him to shiver uncontrollably, he didn't understand what caused it. Where were the playing children, arguing adults and the gossiping housewives and elderly. He entered his home just in time to hear his mother pleading to be spared. And the sickening sounds of a tantō being forced through her body was a sound that he knew was ingrained into his very being, forever.

- 20 minutes earlier -

Sasuke was having such a nice day, he finally mastered the **Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu** (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique) and was heading home to show his brother. After all it were the subtle hints of Itachi that had helped him mastering it. He adored his brother, his role model, the once in a century genius, youngest to ever be recruited for ANBU and to date, their youngest captain. And yesterday he had promised to help Sasuke increase his long distance accuracy, private training from the best.

On his way back he had seen the blonde kid that his father had forbid him to talk to, sitting at one of the many wooden piers that decorated the Naka river. Their eyes had met for but a second, enough to transfer the maelstrom of emotions shown in the blondes. Red, puffy, but still brilliant sapphire eyes drilling into onyx. Loneliness, pain, sadness and incomprehension adorned his eyes while his body jerked for small short breaths.

Sasuke could not understand the hatred and revulsion displayed by his clan, but also the village, towards the blonde. The civilians called him a demon and denied him access to their shops, even physically assaulting him and the shinobi looked at him with nothing but hate on their minds. What could he have done to get this treatment, why did he feel like talking to him, who was this blonde enigma?

* * *

Naruto was having a terrible day, all of the food in his pantry and fridge was beyond their expiration date so he hadn't eaten since the last time old man Hokage had treated him with ramen. Three days, he has had worse. But that didn't stop the rumbling in his stomach, the cramps as a constant reminder. It was not like he had not tried to get food, _they _did not let him. Refusing him entrance into their shops and not sparing him any food or leftovers. He could go to the Hokage, but he didn't want to bother the old man with such minor issues. He knew of the responsibilities of the village elder. He would become Hokage after all! Dwarfing his predecessors in his magnificence, with his name known all over the elemental countries!

So he had left the village centre, choosing a nice spot at the Naka river to rest his small, hungry body and watching the water flow to forget his current predicament. He had been thinking of ways to scavenge food when he saw a boy walking on the other side of the waterside. The boy obviously came from a wealthy family, everything he was wearing was tailor made and in good condition.

When their eyes met all Naruto could see was happiness, contentment and pride. He obviously never had anything but the best of the best.

Still, Naruto could not help but wonder about the raven haired boy.

* * *

Sasuke would never forget, the sound of his mothers last breath, the dull thud of her body hitting the floor. The sight of her lifeless eyes meeting his. Never again would he see her kind smile or hear her encouraging words. Slowly the assailant turned to meet him, bloodied sword in his hand. Sasuke could not believe, would not believe that his brother was responsible for this carnage, this massacre.

"Why... did you?" - Sasuke asked, shocked into place. "To measure myself, to prove my existence." was his answer. "To test yourself? That's all... That's... the reason. You killed everyone for that? "

"And of course for this, **Tsukiyomi **(Moon Reader)! "


End file.
